Everyone has his or her reasons for being on Facebook. For me, I like to use it to post funny or inspirational sayings or medical information.  Over the holidays I noticed that there were many posts of families all together, fun and happy occasions, parents cuddling with their cute little children and everyone looking so happy and well behaved.  People can portray their lives however they like whether it bares any resemblance to reality or not.

There are anecdotal reports and an occasional study that have shown there is a phenomenon called Facebook depression and Facebook fueled divorces.  These may be due to seeing the grass as always greener on the other side. People may feel that their lives pale in comparison to those on Facebook and their relationships are lacking.

Recent studies have found that there may be an upside with some positive aspects to Facebook.  Researchers at the University of California San Diego found that social media may spread happiness.  Those who put up happy status updates encouraged others to do the same thing. So, using Facebook can be OK.

Here are some tips to keep you from letting Facebook rule your life:

• If you don’t have time to log on, rather than feel like you are missing out, be happy that you are doing something else. Take time to enjoy yourself and do not get sucked into the Facebook craziness.

• Do not try to keep up with all your friends. Limit your time on Facebook. A well-known psychologist, Robin Dunbar has determined that we are only able to maintain 148 connections comfortably on social media.  More than that becomes overwhelming.

• Keep your true relationships between live people who you actually talk to and interact with in person.

• Remember that what is placed on Facebook is not reality.  It is most often the best version of us. It is not reality.  If you start comparing your life to those on Facebook, stop and remind yourself of that fact.

Facebook can be fun, but don’t stop enjoying the activities in your life and what is going on in front of you.  If you see yourself becoming obsessed, it may mean that you need to step away from the computer and the phone and step away from Facebook all-together.